Soyu and her companions arrived at the accident site well into the afternoon, and police were blocking the entrance. Soyu approached with a cracked voice.

“My family is in there. Please let me in.”

The police officer remained firm.

“Not possible. Landslides are still occurring. Please wait here.”

Soyu shouted, 

“My family is in there! I need to go!”

Hyunwook stepped forward then. He spoke in a calm voice.

“I’m Attorney Do Hyunwook. We’re friends of Film Director Kim Jinwook, and this is his fiancée. We must go in.”

Just then, there was a commotion from behind. Hyunwook turned his head and spotted an older man leading the way, then exclaimed, 

“Assemblyman!”

Hyunwook ran over, and the man recognized him.

“Hyunwook. What brings you here?”

“Sir, our friend is buried inside. We’ve come all the way from Seoul but can’t get in. Please help us enter.”

Han Jongsu was a current National Assembly member and a close friend of Hyunwook’s father. He looked at Taeseop and the nearly collapsing Soyu.

“Did you come together?”

“Yes. That woman is Jinwook’s fiancée.”

Han Jongsu nodded.

“Let’s go in.”

Thanks to him, the three entered and groaned at the scene before them. Emergency workers and heavy equipment had been brought in, and a response headquarters had been set up. There were as many reporters as there were rescuers. While Han Jongsu entered the headquarters, Soyu staggered toward the accident site. The road covered by the mudslide was horrific.

“Wook… Wook…”

Tears poured from her eyes like rain. Jinwook was in there. It must be dark and frightening. What if he was injured, crushed by rocks? Or what if she never got to see his face again? Soyu gritted her teeth and ran. When she reached the guideline and tried to enter recklessly, a police officer stopped her.

“You can’t. It’s dangerous.”

“My fiancé is in there! I need to go!”

“Rescue operations are about to begin. Please wait a little longer.”

“I need to go! Jinwook! Jinwook! I’m here! Jinwook!”

She had lost her reason and seemed like a madwoman. Pushed back by the police, Soyu soon lost her strength and collapsed to the ground. Taeseop approached and supported her.

“Soyu. Let’s wait a little. Hyunwook went to the response headquarters to find out what’s happening.”

Soyu clutched Taeseop’s arm and wailed.

“What should I do… What if something happened to Jinwook…”

“Jinwook is the type to survive anywhere. He’ll hold on.”

Taeseop’s face was just as haggard. Just then, the police removed the barricade to let heavy equipment through. In that moment, Soyu’s eyes flashed, and she ran. The police and Taeseop chased after her as she dashed toward the site in an instant.

“Stop! I said stop!”

“Soyu! Don’t!”

She heard nothing. Her first love was in there. He would be waiting for her. She loved Jinwook. She had loved him from the beginning. That’s why she hadn’t pushed him away during all that time. She loved Jinwook.

“Jinwook! Jinwook! Wook!”

Standing before the pile of mud, Soyu called for him frantically.

“Can you hear me! Kim Jinwook!”

The police who ran up grabbed her.

“It’s dangerous!”

Taeseop, who had caught up, embraced the struggling Soyu tightly.

“Yu-ya… Don’t do this… Jinwook isn’t dead…”

Tears flowed from Taeseop’s eyes too, and his voice trembled severely. Soyu clutched him and wailed.

The rescue operation proceeded. It was still unclear how many vehicles were inside. Even with heavy equipment deployed, the road’s width made it impossible to use multiple machines, and only one small excavator continued the difficult work. Meanwhile, time passed quickly. It was an arduous wait, and those waiting for rescue felt their hearts melting with anxiety.

Darkness fell. Sitting in a chair inside the response headquarters, Soyu looked like someone who had lost her mind. She jumped up at the slightest sound to look outside, and her anxiety symptoms made her seem on the verge of collapse. Despite Taeseop and Hyunwook’s attempts to get her to drink even water, Soyu wouldn’t take a single sip.

As the sky darkened, lights were turned on. Soyu sitting with her face buried in her knees, Taeseop and Hyunwook pacing around the site—they all shared the same feelings. As time passed, the risk of dehydration made the situation more urgent. One might wonder why they couldn’t just clear away the mud quickly, but no one knew the situation inside. The excavator had to proceed carefully, as touching a car could cause even greater damage.

That’s when it happened. A loud voice came from the site.

“A car! We found a car!”

Startled by the sound, Soyu ran out of the tent. She rushed to Taeseop and Hyunwook, who were standing in front of the police guideline, and asked urgently.

“Did they find him?”

“Yes.”

“Is it Jinwook?”

“We don’t know yet.”

Soyu gripped Taeseop and Hyunwook’s hands tightly, her body trembling. Her desperate gaze was fixed on the car being pulled out by the excavator. A rescue worker checked inside the car and shouted.

“They’re alive!”

At that moment, the excavator backed away for the rescue. The three people, confirming the car, shouted simultaneously.

“Jinwook!”

“Jinwook!”

“Kim Jinwook!”

The car pulled from the mud pile was Jinwook’s. Soyu ran forward, and Taeseop and Hyunwook followed. Even with police trying to stop them, they couldn’t be held back. It took time for the rescue workers just to open the crushed door. Standing a few steps back, Soyu stood on tiptoe trying to see inside, but the rescue workers blocked her view. Finally, the door was torn off, and the rescue workers carefully pulled Jinwook out. Soyu’s eyes widened.

“Jinwook!”

As Jinwook was placed on a stretcher, Soyu ran forward.

“Jinwook! Kim Jinwook!”

He had his eyes closed, wearing an oxygen mask. At Soyu’s cries, his eyes opened with difficulty.

“Jinwook!”

Soyu’s eyes widened. Seeing her, Jinwook weakly wiggled his fingers. He smiled. Soyu. My love.

“Jinwook!”

Jinwook was loaded into the ambulance. A paramedic asked, 

“Would the guardian like to ride along?”

“Me! I’ll go!”

As Soyu was getting into the ambulance, she looked back, and Taeseop said, 

“We’ll follow behind. You go ahead.”

The ambulance doors closed, and it departed urgently with sirens blaring. While the paramedic administered emergency treatment to Jinwook, Soyu held his hands tightly, not taking her eyes off him even as she cried. Just then, Jinwook moved his fingers.

“Jinwook! It’s me! Soyu!”

When Jinwook opened his eyes and gestured to have his mask removed, the paramedic said, 

“You need to keep it on for now.”

Looking at the crying Soyu, Jinwook mumbled very softly.

“It’s Soyu…”

Though his voice was faint, Soyu understood clearly and held his hand, sobbing profusely. And so, Kim Jinwook lived.

Taeseop and Hyunwook ran into the emergency room. Hyunwook grabbed a nurse and asked, 

“Where is the person brought in from the road collapse accident?”

“He’s in the oxygen intensive care unit.”

They rushed to the place the nurse indicated and found Soyu hanging on the door, looking inside.

“Yu-ya!”

Seeing them, Soyu said through tears, 

“He’s alive… Jinwook is alive…”

Taeseop and Hyunwook also hung on the door to look inside. They felt relief when they saw the doctor nodding while saying something to Jinwook. Taeseop cried, and so did Hyunwook.

“He’s alive… Jinwook is alive…”

“Yes. Thank goodness…”

The three people—friends, siblings, and lovers—embraced each other and eased their anxious hearts.

About an hour later, Jinwook came out of intensive care. As he was wheeled out on a bed, Soyu, Taeseop, and Hyunwook approached. Soyu was first to take Jinwook’s hand, crying.

“Jinwook.”

Seeing Soyu and his friends, Jinwook smiled weakly.

“Wow. Everyone’s here.”

Though his voice lacked strength, his broad smile and manner of speaking were exactly the same as before. Taeseop pressed his lips together and gripped Jinwook’s shoulder firmly. That touch contained many emotions—gratitude for his survival and a bond beyond friendship, like that of blood relatives. Meeting Taeseop and Hyunwook’s eyes, Jinwook snickered.

“What’s this? Were you crying? How embarrassing.”

At Jinwook’s playfulness, both Taeseop and Hyunwook finally smiled. Jinwook’s gaze fell on Soyu. His voice was tender as he spoke.

“Our Soyu. You must have been shocked.”

Soyu could only sob. The past hours had been the first experience of such fear and terror in her life. Just imagining never seeing Jinwook again made it hard to breathe. As she sobbed, Jinwook said, 

“Yu-ya. Let’s get married.”

Soyu nodded through her tears.

“Yes. Let’s do it. Right away.”

He seemed about to laugh heartily, but when Jinwook groaned “Ugh” while trying to laugh, the three friends rushed to him.

“Don’t talk.”

“You need to rest.”

“Laugh later, you idiot.”

Jinwook’s eyes grew moist as he looked at his friends. Thank goodness. For being alive. It’s truly fortunate to see these guys again.